Tag Archive: Llandow

I went testing on the 4th of October at Llandow. It generally went well. It was cold, but dry, I didn’t really get any heat into the tyres, so it was a little twitchy round the corners at times. Also didn’t know how done in my air filter was. The first couple of sessions out, the car didn’t really pull out the corners as well as it has done, and was a little hesitant to get up to top revs, Tony took the air filter off and… WOW! What a difference it made, the revs ran smoothly throughout the whole range, with no hesitation, plus I seemed to have so much power I didn’t know what to do with it all – which was interesting with limited grip. The new air was ordered and fitted to the car ready for the race meeting. I had lots of fun and came away with a big smile on my face 😆 I was hoping it would be the same for the race meeting, but…

I had an early start on the Sunday, having to get up at 4am 🙈. Got to the race track in good time, but trying to find where the Welsh Sports and Saloon Car Championship guys were, well, was interesting, as we happened to be spread out all over the inner paddock.

We had a mixture of intermittent heavy rain ☔ and sunshine 🌞 equalling rainbows 🌈 (and not just in the sky).
Well racing didn’t go to plan, I was all geared up, and feeling really pumped up for a great day of racing, but my little car decided otherwise. The head gasket blew on the 2nd lap of qualifying. I first knew something was wrong when smoke started filling up the cockpit and then looked out my wing mirrors saw smoke coming out the back of the car as well. I managed to get back to the pits, very slowly mind you, and Tony lifted the bonnet and told me it was terminal and that the head gasket had gone. I slowly drove into Parc Ferme, then back to my paddock space. The worst thing of all was that the car was feeling good before the problem occurred.
This resulted in the end of my race weekend 😔 and any chance of scoring some decent points. It was so frustrating, especially as I had had such a positive test session.

On my way back home, me and my dad decided to stopped off at Coate Water for a nice walk in the sunshine, to enjoy the afternoon, after such a disappointing day.

Lots to do over the winter to get the car reliable and competitive, though I will come back (hopefully stronger) and fight hard in 2017 💪.

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I went testing last Monday at Llandow 🚘 and it was pretty successful, the car was running nicely, handling well, no major issues, just a couple of hiccups though with the exhaust falling off (easily fixed) and I had a small spin though the grass, which I’m still not quite sure what exactly happened to cause it.

On to round 4 of the Welsh Sports and Saloon Car Championship. We were guests at the Vintage Sports-Car Club Meeting for The Welsh Speed Weekend. There was 29 cars on the grid for our championship this weekend.

Qualifying – Position: 29th; Lap Time: 1:21.71
The track being slippery, plus coldish tyres equals interesting session. There was also a red flag part way through and with extra oil was put down on the back part of the track which made it even more interesting. I didn’t have 100% confidence to push as hard as I would have liked due to the conditions of the track. At the end of the session I lost all response of the rev counter and speedo, which was a little worrying though. The weather was nice though, dry and sunny ☀.

Race 1 – Position: DNF
The rain came down 💧☔ so we decided on putting on my pink rimmed front tyres, as they have a bit more tread on them. They gripped beautifully ☺.
The alternator let go early on, which lead to no power and only just had enough grunt to pull into the pits, after about 2-3 laps into the race 😔. Also forgot to open up the back windows to let some air in and my windscreen misted up badly, so couldn’t see properly.
Trying to race when not being able to see and then driving into the pits was very interesting indeed 😕.

Race 2 – Position: NC
Another wet race 💧, though the rain was starting to ease off a little by the end. Had two batteries (car battery and battery pack) to run my car, it worked! Car behaved beautifully 😊 but my rain light decided not to work and I was shown the black with orange disc flag, so had to come in have it fixed before being allowed back on track, losing 3-4 laps in the process 😕. Though I saw the chequered flag, I wasn’t classified as I hadn’t done enough laps in total – only completed 7 laps, while the leaders did 14 laps.

A frustrating day, the wet weather didn’t help, but I think we have finally got all the niggles now, and the grip I had with the pink rimmed tyres gives me some confidence if it rains again in the final race meeting at Pembrey in October.

I will be out testing again soon. Hopefully to iron out, once and for all, all the problems I’ve had, and means I can have a race meeting without any issues and can have some fun 😊. Please let me have a good finish to my season 🙏.

Went testing in this beauty on Tuesday (10th May) on a damp Llandow track. The car felt good, it was running smoothly and I was happy 😊.

Pembrey Race Meeting – 15 May 2016

The weather was beautiful and sunny 🌞 for most of the day, the clouds did start to come over and the wind started to get up, but not totally hiding the sun, in the afternoon.

Qualifying: Result: 21st out of 24; Lap Time: 1:21.935
Just getting back into the swing of things, after not being at a race meeting for 13 months (Castle Combe April 2015), and getting the feel of the car on the Pembrey track again (18 months since I last raced at Pembrey October 2014).
The car felt good, and was responding well. I was slower than I would of liked, but that was probably just me being a little race rusty I suppose 😉, but I wasn’t last on the grid 😊💪.

Race 1: Result: finished 18th; Lap Time: 1:21.710
I started ok, had a good little battle with Holly for about half the race, until her engine let go 😔. My car started was starting to develop an issue, it wasn’t running as smoothly as it should have been or producing its full power output, though I came home in one piece and finished the race 🏁😊.

Race 2: Result: DNF; Lap Time: 1:20.876
Managed to make a goodish start and overtook a couple of cars off the line, but that’s where the good part ended, coming out of the hairpin my car wasn’t revving properly and never recovered, I came into the pits and got my mechanic to check that everything was still attached as it should, when out again found that the issue wasn’t any better, came back in and had to retire – DNF for me 😔 – one of the coil packs had decided to give up the ghost.
On a positive note though, I somehow managed to go 1 second quicker 😊 which means that I know I have the pace to run with the pack when my car is running smoothly 💪.

So mixed emotions for the day, but staying positive for the rest of the year. Fingers crossed all will work out and I have a good year 😊.

So new plugs and coil packs for the next race, plus some new brakes as well. I’ve got a couple of months now until the next one, and hopefully get out again for another test session.

Where has the time gone, I can’t believe it has been 6 months since I lasted blogged!

What have I done in that time, well going back to last year a couple of things;

November 2015
I went with my mate Elz to see the Rapha Supercross at Kings Cross – which in the end was cancelled due to bad weather – but I did take these photos of the outside part of the circuit

and the Revolution Series at the Lee Valley Velo Park, I have never been to a velodrome before, it was great fun, and I enjoyed myself a lot, the atmosphere was buzzing! 😊

I went to see a Lost Innocence gig at The White Swan in Aylesbury, and I have to say these guys are amazing! – and I’m not just saying that because my brother-in-law plays the keyboard for them – I would definitely recommend going to see them if you get the chance. They are a covers band, and they do covers of Within Temptation, Nightwish, We Are The Fallen, Evanescence etc

December 2015
I did a Taekwondo grading for my green belt, which I managed to pass and gain yay J I was pretty nervous, the higher up I go the more nervous I seem to get, I think it’s due to having to remember more stuff and each pattern/form gets just that little bit more complex.
January 2016
Went to watch my mate Elz at Dalton Barracks for a CX race. Well impressed with her performance, especially as she was suffering with a cold. Met a couple of her riding buddies too, Toria and Caroline – great guys! ‪#‎amazingride ‪#‎soproud 😊

At her next CX race I actually helped out in the pits for her – very muddy, but a lot of fun. I’m so proud of her, she is doing great! 😊

February 2016
Panto time – Beauty and the Beast 🎭
We performed three shows, all three went well, with the obligatory minor hiccups of course, though very funny ones 😄 The cast were all amazing and the backstage crew did a great job too!
The audience, on all the nights, were great with all the interactions of the show as well. The whole production just seemed to flow and – though a lot of hard work was put into it – be quite relaxed.
Well done to all the cast and crew for an awesome show, you guys are amazing!

Now that I’ve got up to date with what has been going on in the last 6 months. It’s almost time for my race season to start. I’m racing in the Welsh Sports and Saloon Car Championship again this year, as it’s such a relaxed, fun and friendly group to be with 😊

I’ve got a test session next Thursday (21st) at Llandow, which is leaving it a bit late I know, as my first race of the season is on the 24th April at Pembrey. Hopefully all goes well, and I can ease myself back in to the car before the race, instead of going in cold.
I will keep you posted on how the test session goes and the first race.

Today I went out testing my little MG at Llandow. It was a lovely sunny and dry day – a little chilly, but shouldn’t complain really – and with a few other cars on track to have fun with.
The car handled well down the straights, around corners, and during braking, and the revs were smooth throughout the different transitions.
First race of the season isn’t far away now, being on Easter Monday at Castle Combe. So with a good test session under my belt lets ‘roll on Castle Combe’ to see how my little car goes up against the competition 🙂

In other news:
The Uffington Players did a Pantomime in Feb of The Piped Piper – Sorry for not mentioning this at the time, but was so busy at the time helping out with the production.
In addition to my body pump and Taekwondo, I’ve started doing Konga – which is one of The Jungle Body workouts.The description of it is:
KONGA is a wild mash-up of Boxing, Kickboxing, Cardio, Afro, Pop, Rock, Pilates, Disco & everything in between. Konga is so addictive because it is the perfect concoction of easy-to-do moves, insane music & routines that are specifically designed to shape, sculpt & redefine your physique. You will go from striking your imaginary opponent, to sexy hip shaking to Beyonce, to a wild Ab Crunching routine. It’s the one class that really does have it all!

I’ve done a couple of cycle rides so far this year, they have proved that I’m still pretty unfit, so that means working out a little more on my endurance. This doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying being out and about, especially when out with mates 🙂

Think that’s all for now folks.
Hope you are all ok
Take Care and God Bless
Vez

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I’ve finally managed to get out testing with my little race car! 🙂 The test was done at Llandow, which is a great little circuit for a shake down test.

The test session went well; The car handled nicely, it felt planted, stable and solid. It responded well to steering, braking and quick changes of direction. The only issue we came across was a fuel pick-up problem; we don’t carry much fuel in the tank – about 1/4 full – due to weight, but if the fuel level went to low and with sloshing around in the big tank, the pick-up couldn’t always suck up the fuel especially when going round quick right handers.

Other than that the only things that need looked at are the battery – it’s old and pretty much came to the end of its life; and the sensor for the V-Tec. Hopefully these will be sorted out for race day.

The weather was good too, blue skies, bright sunshine, dry, though a little chilly.

Overall a good day testing. Bring on the race meeting! Which will be next weekend at Pembrey.

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Sorry I didn’t post in July, I don’t know why, but I just didn’t seem to have time.

Well I decided that I would make July the month that I would cycle everyday except for 2 days – 1 of which is when I do my body pump. I did well, I managed to cycle on most days – admittedly my rides weren’t long, between 8-12 miles long, though I did do a 21 mile ride. There were also a couple of occassions where I didn’t ride my road bike – once I took my very old mountain bike out for a spin, due to having some meetings to go to and the roads to the places I needed to get to were pretty rough, the other time was when I was at the Vulpine Cycle Fete in London (The Lion pub in Hampton Wick), had I was made to go up against Matt Stephens (Former British Pro Cyclist) on the fixed gear static bike challenge (can’t remember what the actual name of it is), but I have to say I didn’t do too badly against Matt, I was only 5.5 secs slower, which considering I have never done it before, and I lost my rhythm at one point (I know I can’t really make excuses for not doing better, as I’m generally not that good) but I gave it go anyway 🙂

I also had a week off work just to chill, but some how ended up doing more stuff then I was planning, not that I’m complaining as the weather was beautiful, and I also spent some time with my best mate Ellie, which included having a swim in a private outdoor pool 🙂 well nice!

The last week of July I came down with a horrible cold, where I started off with a very sore throat, which then turned into going partially deaf (which at one point was quite painful), coughing so hard at times that I almost vomited, and having my nose alternate between being blocked or running :(. I’m now fine after a couple of weeks like it.

Now we are into August, all my weekends seem to be booked up with something going on.
The first weekend I went to a BBQ with some work collegues, which was nice and chilled, we had a couple of light showers during the day, but it didn’t stop us from sitting outside and enjoying the day 🙂
The weekend just gone I was helping out at the village summer teas – which happen every Sunday during June-September. I also managed to get back on my bike again and did a 17 mile ride.
This coming weekend I’m racing at Pembrey, which I will report back about. Hopefully everything will go well this time! But this week I’ll be testing my car at Llandow to give it a shake down.
The weekend after (the bank holiday weekend) is the Uffington White Horse Show, which I’ll be helping out at, doing car park duty and also manning the Church stall selling homemade cakes, jams, marmalade etc.

I think that’s it for now til after my race meeting, not long to wait now 🙂

On Thursday after work I went karting (a work social event) – a 2 hour team endurance, there were 10 teams in all; it was great fun, it made me realise how much I missed karting as I haven’t done any for about 5-6 years, the event gave me a chance to air out my karting gear, which was cool 🙂 I’ve got a slightly bruised back though 😦 as the padding wasn’t much use; the team I was in (Gotta Get Out My Way) came 2nd overall, got beat by a group who goes karting almost every weekend or something like that, but came 1st in the Crown (the company I work for) employees standings.

Today’s testing in Llandow didn’t happen due to bad weather :(, so I’m gutted not to get out to bed in my new brakes, but hopefully next week if I can get a dry day, fingers crossed.

If the weather’s nice tomorrow I may go for a cycle ride, then go looking for a new bike as mine at the moment is (getting) a little worn out – had it for ~12-14 years so it hasn’t done bad really.

Today I’ve got a date for testing my MG, it’s next Friday at Llandow, Woo can’t wait to get back behind the wheel, it brightens my day when I know I’m going to the track wether it be for testing or racing 🙂

The weather was so undecided today, as it didn’t know if it wanted to cry or not, I decided that I wouldn’t risk going for a cycle ride after work, instead I decided to go on my rower just for a change.